Feeding mechanism for shoe machinery.



1 1 L I u U W. 0. WHEELER.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SHOE MACHINERY. APPLIOATIOE FILED 1320.17, 1908,

1,008,575. ran nted Nov. 14,1911;

2 BHEETFBHEET 1.

III

L g fi -wi c WT/VESSES'.

Patel ted NOV. 14, 1911.

2 Bani-Hunt a.

W. 0. WHEELER.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SHOE MACHINERY.

APPLICATION FILED DEU.17, 190 8 VWTNL'S'SES'.

I W Ma UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER 0. WHEELER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR 'I'O UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY. OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPC RATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patente l Nov. 14, 1911.

Original application filed August 7, 1901, Serial No. 71,182. Divided and this applica1lon filed December 17,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER 0. WHEELER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Feeding Mechanisms for Shoe Machinery, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the severalfigures.

This invention relates to lasting machines and more particularly to that class of lasting machines wherein a single pair of pincers is provided, the point of operation of which is transferred around the shoe and the pincers made to operate successively upon different portions of the margin of the upper in contradistinction to that class of last ng machines provided with a plurality of pincers or other working tools operating to last diiferent parts of the upper simultaneously.

The type of lasting machine to which this invention relates is known commercially as the hand method lasting machine.

As is known to those skilled in the art it is desirable particularly in McKay work to last the toe by progressing from the center outwardly alon the side and in all work to last the sides y progressing from the toe toward the heel. This is the manner in which the best operators last shoes on the present hand method machine. In lasting on such a machine the shoes are fed by hand and at the same time tipped by the operator about substantially the working oint as a center so as to present the insole adjacent the portion of the upper being stretched substantially at right angles to the line of updraw movement of the pincers, thereby maintaining the insole in a correct plane for properly receiving the lasting tacks.

'With this method of operation in view, the general object of the present invention is to provide alasting machine of the hand method type in which the point of operation of the lasting instrumentalities is automaticall transferred along the shoe being operate upon, the direction of such transfer being reversed when occasion requires. These results are attained in the preferred embodiment of the invention by mounting Serial No. 487,930.

the shoe on a suitable jar k constructed and arranged to permit of vet 'tical bodily movement and also of angular movement in such direction as to provide for a resentation of the side and end portions 3f tiie upper to the lasting inst-rumentalities. With this movable jack is combined an utomatically operating step by step shoe f :eding mechanism, the direction of feed bei 1g under the control of the operator and 1 egulated manually according to the relative osition of the shoe and lasting instrumental ties. The proper angular relation between the insole and the lasting instrumentalities at the working P011?) is obtained by manually tilting the ae The invention, accordi lgly, contemplates the provision in a lasting machine having the usual lastin instrum ntalities of an angularly adjusta le jack :or supporting the shoe and a cooperating a1 tomatic shoe feeding device whose directhn of feed may be reversed.

While it is, in some embodiments of my invention, convenient to support the shoe being lasted upon a jacl, such supporting means are not an essentia feature of the invention since the shoe has only to be brought into the proper relation with the feeding means for the feed to take lace and any convenient method of bringing about this relation will sufiice. For example, the shoe may be manually held in 3116 proper relation with the feed mechanisrr.

Broadly stat-ed, then, ihe invention comprises the provision, in t machine for use in the manufacture of be ots and shoes having an operating tool, or tools,,,of an automatic work feeding device constructed to feed the work at one tin .e-in one direction and at another time in the reverse direction, the general arrangement of the machine being such that the work to be operated upon may readily be presented to and moved by the automatic feeding mechanism.

In the drawings which illustrate the feeding mechanism disclose i in Patent No. 910,251, granted to Walte r 0. Wheeler, J anuary 19, 1909, of which t 1e present application is a division, Fi 111' 1 is an elevation showing one side of t e machine; Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the 1 )wer portion of the machine; Fig. 3 is a persp active view showing the feeding mechanism Ind operating connections therefor; Fig. 4 is an elevation of a section on line 4 of Fig. 3.

The machine comprises a column 2 whereon is supported a head 3. In the head 3 is a shaft 4 which carries a disk 5 and supports a disk 6 fast to the driving pulley which together rotate loosely on shaft 4 and are movable thereon toward and from disk 5. Disks 5 and 6 are provided with friction appliances whereby, when the two are brought together, motion is imparted for revolving the shaft 4. Between the incline 7 on the head 3 and the disk 6 is a wedge 8 having connection with the treadle member 9 by which the wedge may be moved to force the disk members into contact for starting the machine. Said starting movement is made to take place against the tension of s ring 10 which acts to withdraw the wedge or stopping the machine whenever pressure is removed from the treadle. This movement also operates to apply a brake 11 on the disk 5 for promptly stopping the machine.

The shaft 4 extends through the head 3 and actuates, through suitable means, the various driven devices and mechanisms of the machine which briefly stated consist of the pincers 26, the presser or wiper 200, the pounder 70, the slitting knife 80, the fastening su ply device 59 and the means for cutting o a and driving the fastenings.

In the hanger 12 depending from the head 3 is a member 13 which is supported at the proper altitude for the shoe, when rested with the bottom pressed upwardly against the under side of member 13, to be in position for the pincers to go forward and grip the upper. Preferably this member has its face corrugated to better engage with and revent the shoe from sli ping. This memr is connected with mec anism hereinafter to be described whereby it is made to revolve at times for feeding the shoe about and presenting different parts of the upper to the pincer action. For purposes of convenience this member is hereinafter referred to as a feed rest.

The machine also comprises an edge rest 14 arranged in position for the shoe when held u wardly against the member 13 to be pressed laterally toward the outer end face of the member 14, in which position said member 14 will bear on the upper at about the point where it folds over the edge of the innersole.

In the machine represented the shoe is supported by'placing the last upon a jack 19 and is presented bottom upwardly to the feeding rest 13 its edge resting on the edge rest 14. To this end the jack 19 has its bottom end in ball and socket connection with the upper end of rod 21 and permits universally free rotative rocking movements. The rod 21 has its bottom endconnected with treadle 22 and between the collar 23 on the rod and a bracket 24 on column 2 is a spiral spring 25 normally under tension for lifting the jack and holding it upwardly in posi tion for pressing the shoe against the feeding rest 13 and edge rest 14 in position for the upper to be engaged by the pincers 26. The treadle may be operated for depressing the jack into position for taking off and putting on a shoe or to move the shoe out of range of the pincers. The pincers are designated by reference character 26 and are mounted on carriage 30 so as to move forwardly to the point for gripping the upper and then backwardly for pulling the upper over the innersole. When lasting certain portions of the shoe the backward motion of the pincers is accompanied by a turning motion thereof. Further specific description of the pincers and the mechanism for operating them will be omitted from this application since these elements are features of the applicants Patent No. 910,251 wherein they are fully described and claimed.

Besides the mechanism already referred to, this machine com rises a pounder 70, the function whereo is to pound the wrinkles from parts of the folded upper. This member is suitably mounted and reciprocated vertically upon the bottom of the shoe being lasted by a suitable camvor eccentric mounted on the shaft 4 but notshown in the drawings.

In the machine represented provision is ment of the knee lever 113 to the opposite side of its middle position will put into op eration a corresponding cutter for slitting the upper on the other side of the pincers. With the knee lever in the middle position there will be no movement of the cutter.

After a section of the upper material is suitably strained and laid over the innersole it must be fastened in place. This is commonly done by inserting some suitable fastening device through the turned over upper into the innersole. the ounder 70 is employed for supporting the fhstening device in position at the driven point. There is also suitable'mechanism 59 for supplying fastening devices to the pounder 70 and suitable means within the pounder for driving each fastening device.

The pounder, slitting knife and fastener supplying and drivin mechanism will not be more particularly escribed herein since they constitute features of the patent before In the present instance,

referred to and of other Letters Patent No. 959,666, granted on my application wherein ;hey have been fully described and claimed. The lasting operation as a whole is performed step by step, different parts of the ipper being presented successively to the lCtlOIl of the pincers. In this connection nechanism is rovided whereby the shoe is Lutomatically l'bd with respect to the lasting nstrumentalities. To this end the feed rest .3 is constructed to be en aged by the bottom )f the shoe to be lasted, and by intermitently rotating while in engagement with the iame to feed the shoe step by step to the lastng instrumentalities. Rotation is imparted the feed rest by the following mecha- 1ism:The lever 54 (see Fig. 3) is pivoted ntermediate its length and the upper end .hereof en ages with a suitably shaped cam on she t 4 while the lower end is pivotilly and slidingly connected with the arm which is mounted loosely on the feed rest. as before stated the feed rest is mounted in he hanger 12, the portion thereof which engages and feeds the work being corrugated LII the outer end provided with a ratchet or oothed wheel 130. The bifurcated pawl 51 s pivoted on the arm 50 in a position to ictuate the toothed wheel 130 in either direciion desired as the arm 50 and pawl are iscillated by the lever 54. Motion of the Feed rest in one direction is eifected by the )awl arm 53. To reverse the direction of Feed the pawl is moved till the other pawl LI'III 52 cooperates with the toothed wheel .30 and the pawl may be set in a central )OSitlOIl out of engagement with the feeding est whenever no automatic feeding is deired. For holding the pawl in any one of hese adjusted ositions 1t is provided with spring resse plunger adapted to engage notche surface of the arm 50, as shown 1n F11 lasting machines of the class representd it is common for the workman while lastng the heel to depress the last away from he pincers during the closing together of he pincer jaws, whereby gripping of the ipper is avoided and to return it upwardly [1 position for receiving the action of the ther lasting instrumentalities in order that he upper may be laid over upon the innerole and secured thereto without bein subected to the action of the pincers. n the Iresent machine provision is made for causng said intermittent depressing movements f the shoe to take place automatically, the utomatic mechanism being rendered operaive by the. Workman when the lasting operaion has progressed to the suitable portion of he shoe. To this end the lever 103 connects ivotally with the top end of rod 104, the ottom end of which connects with the readle 22. Lever 103 is pivotally connected y its other end with the bottom end of rod 105 which extends upwardly to a cam 106 on shaft 4 against which 1t is yieldingly pressed by the spring 107. It will be observed that during each IBVOll tion of shaft 4 the cam 106 is moved to efi'ec a downward movement of rod 105 which mi vement being transmitted to lever 103 will ass on to rod 104 and thence through the treadle to the jack rod 21. The lever 103 is j )rovided with a shiftable fulcrum block 102, the arrangement being such that when the fulcrum block is in the position shown in Fig. 1 little or no motion is transmitted t the rod 104 while the block may be shifts i by suitable means (not illustrated) towa d the right whereby the proper amount 01 motion may be transmitted to the jack for depressing the shoe.

In using the machine the jack is depressed by the foot lever 22 and the shoe to be lasted is applied theretc in the usual manner, the jack being pressed upwardly by the spring 25 to present thr shoe against the feed rest 13. The opera or holds the part of the shoe at which the lasting is to begin, usually a point near th: toe, against the edge rest 14 and after o iserving that the edge of the upper is locate l between the open jaws of the pincers, start. the machine by operating the treadle 9 cc nnected with the clutch. The pincers are fir: t closed upon the edge of the upper, then tilt id and finally carried upwardly and outward away from the edge of the last and over 1 e innersole. When the upper has been dra vn into posi tion to be secured the pounding device 70 descends for hammerin the u iper adjacent to the place where the f astenir. g is to be inserted. Immediately thereafte r the fasten ing device is placed and drive! through the upper into the innersole afti r which the several parts resume their firsi position for repeating the operations on mother portion of the upper. During the return of the pincers to osition for again gripping the upper the ceding rest is actl ated for advancing the shoe, this being ei iected by the cam 55 acting through the v orking lever 54, as shown in Fig. 3, to swng the pawl 51 and turn the rest. Aftei the lasting operation has proceeded along the edge of the shoe to the desired point the operator depresses the jack by means cf the treadle 22 thus disengaging the shoe bottom from the feeding rest. The shoe nay be now manually moved to bring am ther portion of the edge thereof to the operating point of the lasting instrumentalitie: whereat the lasting operation again progresses, the rotation of the feeding rest beiI g in the appropriate direction.

In lasting a shoe according to one preferred method of procedure the operator begins lasting at a point near the toe and lasts along that side toward he heel, the

operation is then interrupted and again taken up at a point near the toe but on the opposite side of the shoe. From this point the lasting progresses again toward the heel where it is again interrupted. The remaining portion of the toe is finally lasted in two operations beginning in each case at the center of the toe and progressing first on one side and then on the other side of the toe to the point where the two previous operations began.

Having fully described my invention embodied in the best form known to me, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. In a machine for lasting shoes, the combination with means for working an upper over a last, a shoe bottom rest, and actuating mechanism for moving it whereby the shoe may be fed, of means under control of the workman for rendering said actuating mechanism operative or inoperative.

2. A lasting machine having, in combination, a shoe feeding means, and actuating mechanism for moving it in either direction whereby the shoe may be moved at one time in one direction and at another time in the reverse direction, and means for rendering said actuating mechanism operative for moving the feeding mechanism in the desired direction or inoperative to allow the feeding mechanism to remain at rest.

3. In a lasting machine, the combination with means for supporting the shoe in inverted position, shoe feeding mechanism for engaging the shoe bottom, and means to actuate said mechanism to feed the shoe in either direction, of means under the control of the operator for adjusting said actuating means to cause the shoe to be fed in the desired direction.

4. In a lasting machine, the combination with a shoe feeding member constructed and arranged to feed the shoe bottom during the lasting operation, of actuating mechanism therefor comprising a ratchet connected to the feeding member, a lever, means for oscillating the lever, and a pawl arranged to be operated by the lever and adjustable to' cause the ratchet to be moved thereby in either direction.

5. In a lasting machine, the combination with a shoe feeding member, of actuating mechanism therefor comprising a ratchet connected to said feeding mechanism, a lever, means for oscillating the lever, a pawl arranged to be operated by the lever, and means by which the pawl may be adjusted into operative or inoperative relation to the ratchet.

6. A lasting machine, having, in combination, lasting instrumentalities, provision for imparting a relative movement to the lastin instrumentalities and a shoe to trans er the point of operation of said instrumentalities along the margin of the shoe upper, and means for changing the relative direction of said movement, substantially as described.

7 A lasting machine, having, in combination, a lasting head provided with automatically operating pincers, provision .fol imparting a relative movement to the pincers and a shoe to transfer the point of operation of said pincers around the shoe, and means for changing the relative directior of said movement while the pincers continue in operation, substantially as described.

8. A lasting machine, having, in combination, lasting instrumentalities, and means tc transfer the point of operation of said lasting instrumentalities along the sides of the forepart of a shoe and in a direction toward the heel on each side, substantially as described.

9. A lasting machine, having, in combination, lasting instrumentalities, a feeding mechanism for imparting a relative movement to the lasting instrumentalities and a shoe, actuating means for said mechanism adapted to impart a relative movement tc said parts in one direction for a time, and manually operated means for causing said actuating means to thereafter impart a relative movement to said parts in another direction for a time, substantially as described 10. A lasting machine, having, in combination, a lasting head provided with automatically operating pincers, mechanism operating to impart a relative movement tc said pincers and a shoe to transfer the poini of operation of said pincers along the margin of the shoe upper, and means operatively connected to said mechanism for reversing the direction of said relative movement, substantially as described.

11. A lasting machine, having, in combination, lasting instrumentalities, a shoe feeding mechanism adapted to feed a shoe in one direction, and a controlling device operatively connected with said shoe feeding mechanism constructed and arranged to reverse the direction of feed of the shoe, sub stantially as described.

12. A lasting machine, having, in combination, lasting instrumentalities, a shoe feeding mechanism constructed and arranged t( feed a shoe past the lasting instrumentalities in either of two directions, and means fol predetermining the direction in which th( shoe is to be fed, substantially as described 13. A lasting machine, having, in combi nation, a lasting head provided with auto matically operating pincers, means for feed ing a shoe past said pincers, and means t( change the direction of the feeding move ment during the lasting operation substan tially as described.

14. A lasting machine, having, in combi nation, a lasting head provided with auto atically operating pincers, a work feeding .echanism adapted to impart a step-by-step aeding movement to a shoe past the pincers, 1d provision for causing said feeding mechiism to feed the work in either of two diactions, substantially as described.

15. A lasting machine, having, in combiition, a lasting head provided with autoatically operating pincers, means for sup- )rting a shoe in position for the pincers to )erate upon the opposite sides of the fore irt of the shoe successively, and means for :eding the shoe past the pincers in opposite .rections during the lasting operation on ,ch side of the shoe, substantially as deribed.

16. A lasting machine, having, in combittion, lasting instrumentalities, means for lpporting a shoe in position for said lastg instrumentalities to initially operate )OII substantially the center of the toe of .e shoe, and means to transfer the point. of )eration of said instrumentalities first to ie side of the initial operative position for time and. then to the other side of said poiion without passing around the heel of e shoe, substantially as described.

17. A lasting machine, having, in combition, lasting pincers, a shoe support mountto permit a presentation of different porms of the margin of the fore part of the per in a preselected sequence, a work eding mechanism, and provision for conolling the direction of feed of said mechliSIIl whereby all of said portions of the )per are lasted by a transference of the )rking point in a direction from the toe Ward the heel, substantially as described. 18. A shoe feeding mechanism for lasting machines comprising means f r engaging the bottom of an inverted shoe and actua ing mechanism for causing the first mentioned engaging means to feed the shoe in either direction at the will of 1he operator.

19. A lasting machine having, in combination, a feeding member con: tructed and arranged to engage the shoe stoc k and means to move it in opposite directio 1s, the combination operating for feeding the shoe, at one time in one direction and at another time in a reverse direction, the direction of the feed being under the contrd of the operator.

20. In a lasting machine, t1 1e combination of pincers adapted for gripping the upper and means comprising a Pest for gaging the shoe in position to receie the action of the pincers, combined with means for IHOViIlg the rest in opposite directions, the rest operating to feed the shoe, at one time in onedirection and at another time in the reverse direction, substantially as described.

21. A lasting machine having a revoluble shoe feeding member construe ed and arranged to engage the shoe stock, and means to revolve it in opposite dire :tions, combined with means, controllable l y the workman, for shifting the directiol of the revolving movement of said feed member as desired during the lasting proo ss, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof L have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WALTER 0. WI :EELER.

Witnesses:

HERBERT W. KENWAY, An'rmm L. RUSSELL.

plea of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). 0. 

